Texas Senator (District 7) Paul Bettencourt will present an overview of the 2017 Texas legislature’s regular and special sessions.

First elected to the Senate in 2014, Paul Bettencourt represents Senate District 7, which includes portions of Harris County. He previously served 10 years as the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector, where he introduced “Smart Government” at the Harris County Tax Office and developed a customer service-driven organization. His team created the first major online property tax payment system and the first county tax office website with online automotive registration in Texas. (His motto was “Get on-line, not in-line.”)

In his first legislative session, Senator Bettencourt served as the chief Senate sponsor on 25 bills that the Legislature approved, including his amendment to SB 1760 that requires a 60% supermajority within a taxing jurisdiction to increase property taxes and has already prevented Dallas ISD from imposing a $100 million tax increase on its taxpayers. Senator Bettencourt also led the passage of the Andrea Sloan “Right to Try” bill, which allows terminally ill Texas patients access to drugs still in the FDA approval pipeline, and SB 1004, which expanded dual credit opportunities in Harris County. He built upon this success in the most recent legislative session by passing legislation to stamp out inappropriate student-educator relationships and he reached across the aisle to establish ISD and Charter School Partnerships to give Texas students better access to educational opportunities. Additionally, he worked to pass HB 810, which gets government out of the way and allows adult stem cell treatments to be used for patients facing severe chronic illnesses.

During the interim session, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick appointed Senator Bettencourt to serve as Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform & Relief. The Select Committee toured Texas and heard almost 50 hours of public testimony, discussing ideas to reform the appraisal system and bring tax relief to Texans, as proposed in SB 2 (SB 1 in the special session), the Texas Property Tax Reform and Relief Act of 2017.

Senator Bettencourt also serves on the Senate Finance, Education, and Higher Education committees, and is the Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Most recently, he was appointed Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Government Reform and unanimously elected by his colleagues to serve as the Chair of the Texas Senate Republican Caucus.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Senator Bettencourt is the CEO of Bettencourt Tax Advisors, LLC, a tax consulting company in Houston that has grown to more than three dozen employees. He is also a radio and television personality.

The senator and his wife Susan are active members of Saint John Vianney Catholic Church, where Paul is a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus.

I hope you have all had a wonderful summer filled with opportunities to make great memories.

We have a packed agenda for the coming months. Our President and the Conservative Movement is being attacked everyday. We must continue, day after day, to stay vigilante and fight for our believes and principles. Look over the “Mark your Calendar” in this month’s newsletter and vow to get involved.

Please do not let the liberal media and the hate groups convince you all is lost and the President is going in the wrong direction. Here are some of the accomplishments in his first few months:

Supreme Court Judge Gorsuch

59 missiles dropped in Syria

He took us out of TPP

Illegal immigration is now down 70% (the lowest in 17 years.)

Consumer confidence highest since 2000 at index 125.6

Mortgage applications for new homes rise to a 7 year high

Pulled out of the lopsided Paris accord

Arranged 20% Tariff on soft lumber from Canada

Bids for border wall are well underway

Keystone pipeline approved

NATO allies boost spending by 4.3%

Allowing VA to terminate bad employees

Allowing private healthcare choices for veterans

More than 600,000. Jobs created

Median household income at a 7 year high

The Stock Market is at the highest ever In its history

China agreed to American import of beef

$89 Billion saved in regulation rollback

Rollback of A Regulation to boost coal mining

MOAB for ISIS

Travel ban reinstated

Executive order for religious freedom

Jump started NASA

$600 million cut from UN peacekeeping budget

Targeting of MS13 gangs

Deporting violent illegal immigrants

Signed 41 bills to date

Created a commission on child trafficking

Created a commission on voter fraud

Created a commission for opioids addiction

Giving power to states to drug test unemployment recipients

Unemployment lowest since may 2007

Historic Black College University initiative

Women In Entrepreneurship Act

Created an office or illegal immigrant crime victims

Reversed Dodd-Frank

Repealed DOT ruling which would have taken power away from local governments for infrastructure planning

Dept of treasury reports a $182 billion surplus for April 2017 (2nd largest in history.)

Negotiated the release of 6 US humanitarian workers held captive in Egypt

Gas prices lowest in more than 12 years

Signed An Executive Order To Promote Energy Independence And Economic Growth

Has already accomplished more to stop government interference into people’s lives than any President in the history of America

President Trump has worked with Congress to pass more legislation in his first 100 days than any President since Truman

Has given head executive of each branches 6 month time Frame dated march 15 2017, to trim the fat. restructure and improve efficacy of their branch. Observe the pushback, the leaks and the lies as entrenched POWER refuses to go silently into that good night!

As the end of summer nears let us come together to learn more about the movement to end Human Trafficking and crimes against children. We will explore the facts and vulnerabilities the children in our community face, as well as the resources available to rescue them. Joining us are three guest speakers who will share their valuable knowledge, and with our support we can help change the course.

Wednesday August 23, 2017

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

(See email announcement for more details)

Guest Speakers

Congressman Ted Poe was instrumental in passing the Justice for Victims Trafficking Act that includes reforms that help individuals get the shelter and services needed to provide a fresh start. As a father and former judge, he believes in not only punishing those who commit the crime of sexual exploitation of children but also helping the survivors and affected families to rebuild their lives. He will share his experience in combatting these major issues of adolescent sexual abuse and human trafficking in our area.

Elaine Stolte, the Executive Director of the Children’s Assessment Center (The CAC) will tell about the safe haven The CAC provides for sexually abused children and their families. The CAC’s multidisciplinary team approach aids in the prevention, assessment, investigation, and treatment of child sexual abuse. She will share about volunteer opportunities at The CAC.

Sergeant Luis Menendez-Sierra of the Houston Police Department serves as the Commander of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Task Force, covering eight counties in the Houston Metro Area, along with 60 Task Forces nationwide actively seeks out child predators and brings them to justice. Sergeant Menendez’s primary objective is to save children from these predators and get them the help they need.

VRW welcomes Ashley Davis-Nelson and Toni Macfarlan to our May 2017 meeting. These ladies will talk about Child Protective Services, sex-trafficking and Texas legislation around these critical problems.

How CPS Led Me to Conservative Activism

Ashley was in and out of foster care until she was 12 years-old. As she grew older, she decided to pay it forward and help vulnerable children in CPS. She served as University of Houston’s College Republican President and as a Senator in Student Government Association. After graduation, she worked with Blakemore and Associates, Ted Cruz’s Presidential Campaign and now Empower Texans. She has been involved with CPS bills for the 85th Texas Legislative Session.

America’s Hidden Epidemic

Toni has been volunteering with Traffick911 to free youth from sex trafficking since college. Traffick911 combats domestic minor sex-trafficking with prevention, identification and empowerment of survivors. She’s currently the Fort Bend County Juvenile Detention Coordinator with Traffick911, a Field Representative for Congressman Pete Olson and a mom.

I can’t believe it is May already! One more meeting, then we break for the summer. I am thrilled with the President’s first 100 days! On April 26, President Trump rolled out the first details of his tax plan, which will reform the complicated tax code, slash rates, and empower companies and workers to create jobs and keep more of their money in their own pockets.

Territorial Tax System to End Penalty on Companies Headquartered in the U.S.

Onetime Tax for Repatriation to Bring Back Trillions of Dollars from Overseas

Eliminate Tax Breaks for Special Interest

The Texas Legislators will be burning the midnight oil and they should be, they have accomplished very little at getting conservative bills passed by both houses. At the time I wrote this, only 3 bills out of 4,000 submitted have passed. I would like to give you an update on the Houston pensions issue, but it changes from minute to minute… stay tuned!

HB 2815 by Tom Oliverson is referred to as the “nursing home voting bill.” It could help prevent the single source of voting fraud that is the topic of the highest number of complaints received by the Secretary of State after every election.

HB 2139 by Mike Schofield brings organized election fraud under the state’s racketeering laws and makes it a felony to engage in organized election fraud activity like ballot harvesting.

HB 3643 by Valoree Swanson increases penalties for illegally assisting voters and particularly for voter ambush. That’s were organized groups wait in the parking lots of polling places, lock arms with unsuspecting voters and proceed into the polling place to act as the “assistants” for voters with whom they have no prior relationship.

HB 3435 by Valoree Swanson gives the Signature Verification Committee of the election Ballot Board more flexibility in disallowing mail ballots for which the signatures displayed are clearly not the signatures of the voter.

What to say:
Tell your representative there are 4 election bills that we need to improve election integrity in Harris County. Ask them to please do whatever they can to pull these 4 bills to votes by the House and Senate. Your voices can make a real difference.

We have some exciting events and speakers planned for you next fall. Have a happy, healthy fun summer and we will see you in August!

Honor and Remember Inc will kick off its Run for the Fallen in April 2018. The Run will specifically honor the men and women who have died during the War on Terror which began with the USS Cole bombing on October 12, 2000.

The Run will cover 19 states and 6100 miles to honor every fallen service member numbering nearly 20,000. Each mile of the route will be dedicated to an individual hero and their family.

Each relay team will stop at one mile intervals where they will place a “Hero Marker” and deliver a short tribute to waiting Gold Star family members, friends and patriots. They will cover 50 miles per day and conclude with an ending ceremony at planned stopping points in local towns.

Thursday, April 6: 32 members will be going to the Capitol for TFRW Legislative Day. Tell you all about it at the next VRW meeting.

Friday April 7: Republican Women Protest Hillary !

I hope you will all join me for the Hillary Protest! The opposition is well organized, and very active, we need to show we are not going to let them turn our state blue! (details below)

April 26: VRW General meeting…details above, make your reservation now!

April 28: HCRP Lincoln/Reagan Fundraiser

This is the biggest fundraiser for the county party. They have a great lineup of speakers, a chance to talk to many elected officials, have some fun and get dressed up….all while supporting our conservative cause.

Hagar is a sixth-generation Texan, who grew up farming land that has been in his family since the mid-1800s. Before becoming Comptroller, Hagar served in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate, and also served as chair of the Sunset Advisory Commission, which works to eliminate inefficiency in government agencies.

Hagar attended Texas A&M as an undergraduate, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts. He then attended St. Mary’s University, earning a Master of Arts and his law degree. At the University of Arkansas, he earned a Master of Laws degree.

Glenn and his wife Dara have three young children — Julia, Jonah and Claire.

VRW will celebrate Texas Independence Day and the Battle of San Jacinto at our March meeting. Mrs. Nina Hendee, commissioned Admiral in the historical Texas Navy will share stories about the heroes of Texas liberty and the spirit and sacrifices made to free Texas from tyranny.

Nina and her husband, Edd, own and operate the Taste of Texas Restaurant, one of the top 100 restaurants in the U.S. Mrs. Hendee started her speaking career with area school children, sharing her love of Texas and its rich history. Approximately 13,000 Houston area students look forward to the Taste of Texas field trip each school year where they hear great tales of our Texas forefathers, tour the restaurant, and enjoy a lunch, compliments of the owners.

An active member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Speakers Committee, Nina has won the coveted “Mega-Mouth” and was named Speaker of the Year 2015. She has been involved with HLSR for over 25 years.

While staying very active in politics, the restaurant business, numerous charities and Second Baptist Church of Houston, Nina and her husband Edd find their greatest joy in their children and grandchildren.

If you are like me, you thought things might calm down once we got past the elections last November. I never dreamed they would turn out so Fantastic State and Nationally and so dismal Locally. Things have done anything but calm down!

For those of you who may have been out of the country, or haven’t been out of the house, read the paper or listened to the news, Village RW were in the news again! We had a very exciting monthly meeting, and had Congressman Culberson update us on Capitol Hill.

Thank you to all the volunteers who made this meeting such a great success! We had about 135 attending (inside), with many more who would have liked to attend… friendly and not so friendly! Registration, security, membership, greeters, Eleanor as gatekeeper, Marri and her husband Roy taking the professional photos of the members with the Congressman, each one of you played a role in the success of this meeting.

We must stay vigilant and work at making sure our elected representatives are responsible in carrying out the principles that got them elected! We only have about 60 days to get proposals on the floor of the Capitol that we feel strongly about! I hope you will join me for TFRW Legislative Day, April 6. We will have a bus to take us to Austin early in the morning and return the same day after our day at the Capitol. There are only 15 seats left on the bus, so please send me your RSVP if you would like to go. VRW is an Elite Patrons Club and the TFRW President is one of our members, so we will have front row seats! TFRW also has a fundraising party the night before Leg Day, called Boots and Belles. The Registration forms are in this newsletter.

March is membership month, VRW is off to a healthy start with over 173 members before the March meeting! Remember the incentive to get 2 friends, or strangers, to join before the end of March, and your lunch will be free in April!

Kathaleen Wall, VRW First VP, will be hosting the meeting in my place as I will be out of the country. It is going to be one you do not want to miss! Wear your Texas C&W clothes and come hear Nina Hendee, the best Texas History storyteller I have ever heard! We will also be highlighting VRW members who have ancestors that played a role in starting our great Texas Republic. There will be door prizes and more! RSVP today!

See you on Legislative Day… It is an exciting time to be a Republican Woman!